Sofia Laine, the mother of Vanessa Bryant, sat down for an interview in Spanish with Univision reporter Dave Valadez on the ‘El Gorda y La Flaca’ show on Monday. During the segment, Laine claimed that her daughter asked her to leave the home the Bryant family was paying for after the tragic death of Bryant’s daughter and husband, Gianna and Kobe Bryant. They were tragically killed in a helicopter crash in January in Calabasas, California.
Bryant responded to the accusations in a statement to Univision. “My husband and daughter passed away unexpectedly, and yet my mother had the audacity to do a television interview speaking negatively of me while shedding tears for a car and a house that were not in her name,” she wrote. Bryant claims that her mother moved out of the house she paid for and removed the furniture. Laine had been living in a three-bedroom house in Irvine, California. The home was purchased for $1.7 million on Dec. 27, 2013, by a Bryant family secretary. Bryant says that she and her late husband have been supporting Laine financially two decades, and continue to do so.
Laine going on-air to spread rumors about her daughter is extremely painful for Bryant as she says her mother hasn’t been supportive of her family as they grieve the unexpected loss of their father and sister. “Contrary to previous reports, she has not been physically present or emotionally supportive of my daughters and me after my husband and daughter passed away.”
In Bryant’s statement, she proclaims that this is the end of her personal relationship with her mother. The shocking loss of your partner and young child leaves an avalanche of pain. To process that sorrow without the unconditional love of your mother is unimaginable. Our hearts go out to Bryant as she navigates this unnecessary drama.
